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Mount Kalamos

Visible from anywhere in Anafi, Mount Kalamos lies at the southeast part of the island, 22 km away from Chora. It is undoubtedly Anafi’s most valuable gem, a miracle of nature.

With a height of 460m, Kalamos is an imposing limestone monolith linked to the island by a small isthmus.

According to local popular wisdom, as you move towards the mount you feel some strange force luring you towards it, then leaving you in awe.

It is no coincidence that the French traveler Tournefort called it: “one of the most daunting rocks in the world”!

The Kalamos monolith is considered the second largest in the Mediterranean after the rock of Gibraltar and is included in Natura network of protected areas.

It hosts some rare species of flora and presents impressive geomorphological characteristics. The rock was inhabited – at least occasionally- during the Middle-Ages, serving as a refuge from numerous invaders.

On its highest peak, there is the Monastery of Panagia Kalamiotissa, dedicated to Virgin Mary (Panagia) for whom there are plenty of legends and local traditions… The monastery is a one-room domed temple with particular architectural features, surrounded by few monastic cells and a small water reservoir.

At the north side of Kalamos you can find Drakontospilo (=cave of dragons), a cave unreachable by sea. You can reach the cave only through a rutty path. Its’ impressive entrance exceeds 10m in height. Inside Drakontospilo the water dripping on the walls creates golden-green coloring, columns and natural water pools while the stalactites are still taking form. Locals believe that the interior of the cave is very deep and ends in a smaller cave at the northern side of the monolithic rock, crossing Kalamos all the way.